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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitch — completely
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com